SICILY
TRAVELLING AT A FOX’S PACE
I
n Japanese fairy tales the fox is none other than a woman who is under a spell, transformed into an animal for her forbidden love affair”… This is how Dacia Maraini, in her introduction to the collection of poetry on her travels, explains that what attracts her to this dainty sister of the wolf “is her silent lightness, her nocturnal wandering, her love for the shadows and the woods”. Perhaps that’s how it was too for the owners of the farm in the heart of Val di Noto, who, like Maraini, are avid travellers. He is Italian; she is Spanish, resident in Moscow and with a great love for Italy. Here’s what happened. When they arrived in the Sicilian countryside and found an old farm set in a huge, green estate inhabited only by little foxes, they felt at home and decided to renovate the late nineteenth century building, transforming it into a boutique hotel so that others could share the wild beauty. Where olives and citrus fruits were once grown and harvested, today
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there is Masseria della Volpe, a place of peace and relaxation, where guests can enjoy the scent of the citrus grove and the view of ageold olive and carob trees. The rural spirit of the place is also reflected in the restaurant’s cuisine, which offers traditional down-to-earth Sicilian dishes made with local produce. The estate provides organic ingredients, including oil produced on the farm, which is divine on warm bread just out of the oven. The chef tempts his guests with a tasty menu that opens with local cheeses and salamis and closes with a series of regional desserts. Snacks and breakfast proffer yoghurt and ricotta cheese, homemade jams and marmalades, fresh juices and fruit again from the estate. Gourmet Sicily is also represented by fine wines and other Italian classics to be sipped by the pool or on the terrace, as you contemplate the view. Masseria della Volpe provides the perfect starting point for discovering this history-rich land and its